


Sirius Takes Care of Remus After the Moon

by simplysirius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Feels, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst, M/M, One Shot, Pining, Relationship(s), Remus x Sirius, sirius x remus, wolfstar, wolfstar angst, wolfstar fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:35:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplysirius/pseuds/simplysirius
Summary: When James is sick, Sirius has to take care of Remus by himself, nursing his wounds and carrying him back to the castle, only if he survives the night, first.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 69





	Sirius Takes Care of Remus After the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr @simplysirius for daily fics and fan art! I also take requests :)

Sirius pretended like he wasn’t nervous.

Remus pretended like he didn’t notice.

It was his first full moon alone with Remus. James was nursing a nasty concussion from yesterday’s Quidditch game against Slytherin, and Madame Pomfrey kept him firmly in bed, locked away in the infirmary until he felt better.

Sirius tried to tell himself that everything would be fine, that he could handle Remus on his own, patch up his wounds, and bring him back to Hogwarts just as the first tendrils of light crested over the horizon. He wouldn’t think about what would happen if this was a bad moon, if Remus overpowered him, if he somehow let Remus hurt himself.

“Are you okay?” Remus murmured from his bed, nestled under the covers. His eyelids were heavy and his skin far too pale, already feverish hours before the full moon. They hadn’t even eaten dinner yet. “You look like you’re gonna throw up.”

Sirius swung his legs off his bed, swallowing hard, and tried to shrug off Remus’ concern with a delicate smile. “You’re one to talk.”

Remus sighed as Sirius perched beside him, carefully brushing the curls away from his face. He pressed into Sirius’ hand, cool skin easing his flaming veins. “Is it time yet?”

“No,” Sirius said quietly, glancing out at the sun still hanging in the sky. “A few more hours.”

He had come to expect this every month, watching Remus sweat and writhe in the moments before the full moon rose, but never so early. Never until the stars broke through the wispy night clouds, twinkling above. From the churn of his stomach and the quiet whimpers that broke through Remus’ lips as his body ached, Sirius knew this would be a bad moon.

“Let’s just go early,” Remus mumbled, pulling himself out of bed and shuffling towards the door. Sirius followed, one hand on Remus’ elbow just in case.

Did they have enough bandages? Were the blankets in the shack clean? Did they have extra clothes left in the storage bin? Sirius couldn’t remember.

When they got to the shack, Remus was still quivering, folded up on the floor just waiting for the transformation to take him.

“Here, let me help,” Sirius insisted, carefully guiding the sweater up over Remus’ head and down his arms. It was the blue and white striped jumper Remus loved, the one Sirius bought him for Christmas last year. He tucked it away so it wouldn’t get ruined.

Shivering a little in the cold, Remus pushed his pants off and clamped his arms around his torso, trying to keep what little warmth he could under the animal exploded from his body. Sirius held him tightly to his chest, a shudder ripping through his shoulders as Remus’ skin turned to ice.

Flaring his nostrils, Sirius could smell it. Musky. Wet dirt. Evergreen sap. Suddenly, Remus’ body wasn’t shaking because he was cold; his body was shaking to peel away from his skin.

This was the hardest part. Excavating himself from Remus and pushing away to the furthest corner of the shack, forced to listen to the stifled cries slip off Remus’ tongue as he was torn from his body.

It was quick, usually, just a few seconds of blinding pain before Remus’ back sprouted fur and his canines grew long and sharp.

But this wasn’t quick. This was long minutes of agony, of Remus pleading for help, of Sirius clamping his hands over his ears, unable to take it any longer. Red marks blossomed on Remus’ skin, blunt nails digging into his flesh, trying to scrape away his human body.

“Please,” Remus whimpered, crawling towards Sirius, the bright moonlight illuminating the tears streaking down his face. “Sirius…”

“I’m here,” Sirius assured, lurching forward and holding his hands. “I’m here, Remus.”

It brought just the smallest amount of relief to Remus’ body.

Sirius blinked, and just like that, the boy he loved was gone, replaced by a snarling wolf, its claws already marred with red. Not Remus’ blood. Sirius’.

There was a gash on his leg, tearing his trousers, and another mark on his hip, wet and sticky. He kicked away, landing a good blow on the wolf’s jowls, flinching at its cry, buying him just enough time to morph into a dog.

The wolf shook its head, sizing up the challenge, but didn’t persist. It sank back on its haunches and raised its nose, releasing an earsplitting howl that echoed across the fjords.

And so the night began.

When the first breath of light streamed through the cracks in the boards of the shack, Padfoot lifted his head from his paws as he watched Remus slowly return to his body, the fur retreating, the claws disappearing.

He quickly shifted back to his human form and lunged for the bandages stored in the corner, pressing them against the gaping wounds tearing through Remus’ body. The glacial air grazed his skin and left hundreds of goosebumps in its wake, and no matter how many blankets Sirius gathered, Remus couldn’t stop shivering.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Sirius whispered, frantically waving his wand to heal what he could before they began the long trek back to the castle. Sirius had never carried Remus by himself; he was lean and lanky, sure, but what he lacked in muscle he made up for in height, and James had always been the one to keep Remus’ feet from dragging on the ground.

Slinging one arm around his shoulders, Sirius heaved a breath as he struggled to his feet, trying to ignore the searing pain of the wound running down the expanse of his thigh. He stumbled twice, narrowly catching himself and keeping Remus’ face off the ground, before he swayed unsteadily, breath leaving his mouth in heavy puffs of steam.

“Not too far,” he murmured, gritting his teeth as he stared down the path before him, long and dark. The Whomping Willow felt miles away, but Sirius had no choice. He would do this alone. For Remus.

His clothes were damp and stuck to his skin by the time he saw the first glimpse of light filtering in from the mangled roots of the tree, and Remus was just starting to blink awake, his long lashes fluttering in the morning sun.

“Sirius…?” He moaned, voice hoarse and frail.

“Almost there,” Sirius said, his knees shaking with the strain. “Hang on a little longer, love.”

He didn’t know how, but Sirius made it to the infirmary, dropping Remus onto a bed before collapsing on the ground, chest heaving and lungs burning. Sirius didn’t remember much after that, but when he regained consciousness, he was tucked into the bed beside Remus’, two honeyed eyes staring back at him.

“Hey, Moony,” he whispered, a tired smile tugging on his lips. “I told you we’d make it.”

Remus frowned, his eyes watering. “I’m sorry.” His gaze lowered to Sirius’ leg, the layers of gauze forming a lump underneath the blankets.

Sirius shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault. I knew better.”

“Thanks for being there.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

Remus reached out, his hand still pale against the white sheets, and waited for Sirius to clasp their palms together. “Yes I do.”

“I’ll always be there. Always.”


End file.
